Fond Memories
by DragonsandInk
Summary: Some insight to a day in the childhood lives of the main students from the DWMA. Some points will make you "awww!" and others will make you a bit sad, or horrified. Might have to change the rating based on feedback I get. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!
1. MakaChop

A/N: YEAH ANOTHER REAL ONE! EDIT! I redid this chapter too (after I fixed chapter 2 XD) Maka is most definitely not in kindergarten like I said before (I changed that in my mini AN as well), she acts way too young to be in school. For some reason, I made Maka much younger than anyone else, it's kind of random, the ages that I had the characters at for their chapters. The way I see it: Maka's around 3, Black*Star is either 4 or 5, Soul is a year older than Black*Star, whichever that is, Tsubaki is 6, Patti is 4 and Liz is 6, and Kid is either 4 or 5. :P I'm so specific, huh? …I just realized I wrote that when Maka went in the bookstore that she went to the book section…

Alsarnia: D:  
Maka: What's wrong?  
Alsarnia: None of my stories are uploading! I download the documents on but they won't add to the fanfictions that I already have up! I feel so bad, I haven't updated them in forever and I have a lot of watchers and reviews lately. Please forgive me everybody!  
Maka: Don't worry, I'm sure they forgive you  
Alsarnia: Maka, you truly are a good friend, even if you are a bit of a Mary Sue  
Maka: Say what?  
Alsarnia: Nothing!  
Maka: T-T  
Alsarnia: Heheh…don't you want to know what this story's about?  
Maka: Yeah! :D  
Alsarnia: It's about you! When you were all cute and squishy!  
Maka: Really? How old am I?  
Alsarnia: I don't know :D  
Maka: I_I  
Alsarnia: Sorry. I don't think you're old enough to be in preschool yet, just barely, you act really young, but I'm not an expert on kids. But, your mom leaves you in the market place alone so you can't be that young...  
Maka: sure I can, Mama trusted me even as a little girl  
Alsarnia: She let you buy candy from a sketchy looking guy in an outdoor market!  
Maka: I'm sure she was watching me the whole time!  
Alsarnia: Oh yeah, that's why it took her a minute to figure out that he ripped you off.  
Maka: Diss my mom again and you're getting a face full of Death Scythe  
Alsarnia: _ fine. I'm writing these short chapters of all the main characters of Soul Eaters lives as children.  
Maka: Maybe you should let us all have a play date!  
Alsarnia: Sorry, no. I'm going off the manga and trying to make it as loyal to that as possible, and before Shibusen you guys had never met as far as I can tell. Maybe Black*Star and Kid crossed paths on the streets at some point, but I don't think any actual interaction occurred between any of you.  
Maka: That's too bad…  
Alsarnia: Suck it up. Oh, and by the way, before the readers ask, you live in Japan.  
Maka: ? What? When was that ever…  
Alsarnia: It was a small remark by Black*Star when they went to visit Tsubaki's parents and he mentions that you lived in Japan for a little while, so I suppose Spirit-kun is Death-Scythe of that part of the world.  
Maka: I'm so cute!  
Soul: Soul Eater © Ookubo Atsushi

* * *

"Maka, Maka dear. Wake up."

A gentle touch shook Maka, trying to wake her up. Little Maka only grumbled and moved deeper under her covers, trying to get away from the light of day. It was much too early for a girl her age, and drowsiness kept her from waking, even at her mother's soft touch.

"Let me handle this," came a deeper voice and a pair of hands reached under the covers, searching for the little girl huddled underneath them.

"Tickle, tickle, _tickle~_."

As Spirit rubbed his fingers across his daughter's belly, Maka giggled herself awake until she had wriggled out from the covers; where Spirit proceeded to blow on her stomach. Kami laughed and tickled Maka as well, who giggled helplessly in her bed. The young family happily spent the first few moments of the morning in bliss and laughter.

"But, mommy!" Maka cried over her giggles, "I don't have school today!"

"Oh," the older woman said, stopping with a serious look and putting her hands on her hips, "Well then, it looks like Daddy's going to have to eat all the pancakes I made."

Spirit grinned widely. "Mmmm~!"

"No Daddy! You can't eat all the pancakes or else you'll get fat and lazy! _I'll_ eat all the pancakes!" Maka said, jumping out of bed and to the kitchen. Kami and Spirit (after his wife convinced him he wasn't getting fat) helped Maka get her pancakes and put syrup on them until their daughter commented on how it looked like a swimming pool.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Spirit asked his daughter as they all sat at their small kitchen table.

"I wanna read a book!" Maka said enthusiastically.

Kami laughed. "We can stop by the bookstore then when we're out shopping, sound okay?"

"Yes!" she cheered, splattering syrup all over the table.

"What are you doing today, Spirit?" Kami asked, turning to her husband with something like suspicion in her eyes.

Spirit was either oblivious to the look or was just stupid enough to try and pretend it wasn't there. "Hmm? Oh, just business around town. I'll go check the docks later to see how things are going with the Kishin egg delivery, I'll probably look around the coffee shop for evidence of that Kishin sighting, maybe I'll contact Shinigami-sama and see if there's any Death Scythe work that needs doing."

"Oh, alright, will you be home by afternoon?"

"Maybe, I'm pretty sure I will," he leaned down to Maka with a smile. "Now you be good for mommy, okay?"

She grinned, syrup all over her face. "Okay, daddy!" Spirit left with a wave after they were done with breakfast and headed off for the docks. Kami paused a moment, watching him leave, before sighing and smiling at her beloved daughter.

"Do you want to help me clean up?" Kami asked her daughter, who excitedly helped put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. "Alright, now go get dressed while I make a shopping list."

"O-kay!" Maka changed into a light pink dress with long white socks and cute brown shoes. As she dashed around the house for no apparent reason other than to burn energy, as young children tended to do, Kami caught her up, gave her a sippy cup full of juice, and started to do her hair.

"You're so energetic, Maka," she cooed as she ran her fingers through her daughters hair and put them into pigtails. As soon as she was set down again, Maka tore across the house, cup teetering in her fingers as she paused every once and a while to take a long swallow.

"Maka, let's go! The fish won't stay fresh forever!" As she picked up the shopping list and her purse, Kami realized that something was written on the list in bright yellow crayon. She knew it was a real word that her daughter had written (since she had picked up reading and writing so quickly), but due to it being in yellow and the font of an over excited young girl Kami couldn't make heads or tails of it.

When Maka's frenzied, juice induced, race towards who knew what had stopped by her mother, she pointed to the drawing.

"Can we get some?"

"What does it say?"

"Candy!"

Kami laughed. Even though Spirit liked to exaggerate it sometimes, their daughter really was _adorable_. "Sure, we'll get some candy while we're out. But you have to be a good girl and not get into any trouble. Okay?"

Maka nodded happily, only thinking of lollipops and sweets. It was a warm day out, so when they left the house Maka was giddy with happiness at being able to go shopping with her mom. They went to the outdoor market with Maka skipping the whole way, holding her mother's hand, and keeping a look out for the shops she wanted to inspect.

As her mother was buying some fish she noticed a candy stand nearby. With wide eyes, Maka suddenly tugged on her mother's sleeve, pointing excitedly at the colorful stand. "Oooh! Oooh! Mommy, look!"

Kami reached into her purse and took out some yen. "Go get something nice."

Maka already knew what she wanted. She wanted 3 suckers that she could get with the small amount of money and that would last her for a while. She always liked suckers because she could share some with her friends, even though her mom said it was gross and that she shouldn't. But kids may as well be kids.

The man across the counter was gruff and dirty but Maka didn't care, she was focused on the colored sugar. After all, someone who _sold_ sweets must be sweet!

"What do you want, kid?"

Maka set the money on the counter. "3 lollipops please!"

He took the money and handed her a bag that she opened quickly to see what flavors she got. She looked devastated. In the bag were only 2 candies.

"Mr? Where's my other candy?" she asked.

"Who knows, I don't care, now scram."

Little tears dotted Maka's eyes and she went crying back to her mother. When she buried her head in her mother's pants, Kami looked away from her bargain shopping and down to her daughter, sporting a deeply concerned look.

"What's wrong, Maka?"

"That mean man wouldn't give me my candy!"

"What?" Kami usually was able to keep her temper, but when someone hurt her daughters feelings, be prepared for an angry meister to attack. Really, it was incredible luck for the greasy man that Spirit wasn't around or else that soul delivery would have another on board, whether it had been on purpose or not.

When they were done with their shopping, Kami held a basket with plenty of food for the week with all the bargains she got and Maka held a bag filled with candy that would last her at least a month.

"Well, that was eventful," Kami said, smiling sweetly down at her daughter.

"Yeah!" Maka smiled back with an equally sweet smile, though hers in a more literal sense.

"Let's go home now, shall we?"

"But mommy, what about my book?" Maka pouted slightly and looked up with big doe eyes.

"Oh, that's right…We spent a long time shopping though, I have to get home and start on dinner. Maybe we can get it tomo—"

"Kami! Maka!"

The pair turned to see a red head jogging towards them.

"Ah! Perfect," Kami said and, as Spirit caught up to them, handed off Maka to him. "Spirit do you mind taking Maka to the book store? I have to start on dinner."

In one swift motion the Death Scythe picked his daughter up and set her on his shoulders. "No problem! C'mon Maka, let's go find a book about puppies."

Maka excitedly tried to bounce on his shoulders as he held her in place and gave Kami a kiss.

"Eww," Maka giggled.

"Don't be late for dinner," she warned.

Spirit laughed. "Right, okay."

When Kami was gone, Spirit stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where she had just been like a lovesick teenage boy. Suddenly, something was shoved into his mouth.

"Mmph," he tried to say and Maka laughed.

"That one's for you!"

Spirit moved the lollipop to his cheek and sucked on the blue flavor. "Raspberry, delicious!"

Maka took hers out. "I have that too! Papa and I are the same!"

"Haha, good for you. Now hang on, I'm going super speed!"

Maka shoved the lollipop in her mouth, held the bag tightly and grabbed onto Spirit's hair. Spirit leaned forward and moved into a jog, which, to a little girl, was indeed like going super speed. As Maka cheered and tugged on his hair, Spirit directed them to the nearest bookstore.

"Sccrrreeecchh!" he said dramatically as they stopped in front of the store and set her down. "Bardy's Books stop!"

"That's where I'm going!"

"Please unload." Spirit made train noises as he set Maka down and 'turned off'. Maka ran into the store and went straight for the kids section. Before she could grab one, Spirit took the candy out of her hands and replaced it with one of the wet wipes from nearby. Bardy kept the store stocked with wet wipes. He didn't like his books to be touched by soiled hands.

"Don't get the books dirty."

"Oh, okay!" Maka wiped off her hands and threw away the napkin before she started fingering the books.

"Ohh! Look at this one! Ooo, or this one! Kii! Look papa!" Maka gushed over the potentially amazing books around her, going from puppies, to kittens, to stars, to food books.

"Spirit-kun, and Maka-chan," said Bardy, coming out from behind the counter. "How are you doing?"

"Ah, Bardy-kun, I'm fine, just fine. We're here to find a book for Maka again."

Bardy laughed. "She sure loves it when you read to her, huh?"

Spirit laughed. "Yeah, she does. Is there anything new she might like?"

Bardy's eyes lit up. "Actually, we just got some American books that I think you might enjoy too. Let me go get it from the back."

"Alright." Spirit watched Maka coo over pictures and fonts as Bardy was in the back until he came back out with two books in hand.

Spirit blinked, then laughed.

Maka looked up and was enraptured by the pictures. "Papa, what's that?"

Spirit picked up the first one of a little girl standing in front of a big school adorned with skulls and candles called "Suzy and Stem's Big Meister Adventure".

Spirit read the back: "'Little Suzy came to the DWMA to become the worlds best Meister. But when her weapon turns out to be a flower how will she be the world's greatest Hero?'".

"What's that?" Maka asked, pointing to the school.

"That's the DWMA, it's where your mother and I learned how to be a Meister and Death Scythe."

"Ooooh! Hehe, it looks really funny!"

Spirit laughed. "Yes, the principle of the school, Shinigami-sama, looks funny too, and he has a funny voice too."

"Like what?"

Spirit turned to the first page and tried to mimic the Reapers voice. "Howdy~ Hello kids~! Whaaaattss up? I like tea, so sit down and we'll have a cup!"

Spirit took a moment to digest what he had read before concluding that this really was a book written by Americans.

Maka could only grin, wide-eyed, at the book as she thought, _Cool_!

"So, what do you think, Maka-chan?" Bardy smiled. "How about I give you a two for one price? Just for today."

"Really!" she squealed.

Bardy laughed. "That's right. What do you say, Spirit-kun?"

"Sounds good to me!" he said, putting the cash on the counter.

"Come back when you want more books," Bardy called as they left the store and Spirit handed the candy back to Maka.

"Will do!" he answered as they turned home.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look at the books papa's going to read to me!"

Kami looked at the books and laughed. "That's amazing Maka! Did papa do his Shinigami voice for you?"

Maka giggled. "He's so funny!"

They looked over to Spirit who was flipping through the Shinigami book. "There's nothing about his Shinigami-Chop in here…well it is a kids' book I suppose."

"Mama, what's a Shinigami-chop?" Maka asked.

Kami smiled and picked up a pan. "Like this. Kaaaammmiiiii—" she swung the pan down on Spirit's head "—Chop!"

Spirit, after remembering how to breath, looked to his wife with watering eyes. "Oww! What was that for?"

"One: for getting a probably violent book about the DWMA, and two: for spending a straight hour flirting with Machela."

"What? Who told you that?"

"Machela."

"We were talking about the Kishin problem at the docks!"

"And what did you find out?" Spirit was silent. "Uh-huh, Kami-chop!"

Maka scowled at her father, seeing her mother disappointed, and picked up the "Suzy and Stem" book.

"Maaaakkkaaaa Chop!" she said, hitting his leg with the book.

"Not you too Maka!" Spirit cried.

Kami laughed. "It's obvious whose side Maka's on."

"Maka, Kami… Daddy loves you, you know that, right?"

Kami smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, we know. Now come eat before dinner gets cold."

After dinner, Maka got into her pajamas and sat down to wait for Spirit to read to her.

"What book did you choose for tonight?" he asked, lifting her onto his lap as he sat down.

"This one!" she held up the Suzy and Stem book. Spirit sweat-dropped. _I hope it's not violent or else Kami will kill me_. He opened the book to find that Maka had colored over the pictures.

"Maka, what did you do? You know better than to color in books."

Maka pointed to Suzy and the pigtails she had scribbled. "It's mommy!" she pointed to the flower that she had elongated and drawn a deformed thing on the top. "And daddy!"

_Daddy doesn't look like that, right_? "Haha, very nice Maka, but color on regular paper, not your books." The book turned out not to be violent at all. Suzy and Stem defeated the Hippo-Kishin with the power of love before any human souls could be devoured. Spirit sighed in relief. Not violent at all.

"How did you like the book? Maka?"

Maka had fallen asleep halfway through the book and now snored lightly on Spirit's shoulder.

Kami came in and smiled. "I'll take it from here, Spirit."

He smiled as the sleeping girl was lifted off him. Kami undid her hair and set her in bed as Spirit turned on her night-light and closed her closet door.

"Good night Maka," they whispered.

"Good night mommy…daddy…" she muttered in her sleep, and her parents closed the door.

* * *

Maka: ...  
Alsarnia: What?  
Maka: Why'd you have to choose that day? When papa was doing all that…  
Alsarnia: Lol, Maka, everyday was like that when you were that age.  
Maka: I-it was not!  
Alsarnia: Cha, it was. I see you as kind of spoiled when you were a kid, because you always had your parents there since Spirit's lazy and during this time there wasn't much kishin activity, so I think Death Scythes and their Meisters were laid back during this time.  
Maka: T-T  
Alsarnia: Shut up, the readers like it so you'll like it too. Now give your daddy a hug!  
[Alsarnia pulls a curtain open to reveal Spirit]  
Spirit: MAKA!  
Maka: Maka-chop!  
Kami: Kami-Chop!  
Shinigami: Shinigami-CHOP!  
Spirit: -dies-  
Alsarnia: -holds up debate sword- darn, he died before I could have my turn…  
Kami: Maka, you were wonderful in that story  
Shinigami: Almost as cute as my Kiddo~!  
Kami: What do you mean almost?  
Alsarnia: -grabs popcorn- I see a chopping battle coming on here soon.  
Maka: Why don't we do the end now?  
Alsarnia: fine –sighs- Next time up is Maka's partner!  
Soul: Me?  
Alsarnia: Yeah, but you act a lot older than Maka I think you're a year older or so  
Soul: That would explain why she's got such a flat chest  
Maka: MAKA-CHOP  
Kami: KAMI-CHOP  
Spirit: -strangles Soul- what did you just say about my little girl?  
Soul: -dies-  
Alsarnia: Looks like the manga Soul Eater is now going to be changed to Death the Kid on account that the actual Soul Eater was just chopped and strangled to death. Don't insult Maka when her family's in the room XD


	2. Scythe Hand

A/N: I KNOW RIGHT? A NORMAL ONE! Anyways, this is an EDIT, I have redone this(as in, gone over it and fixed some parts, added in others, and taken out others). Why you ask? I like the plot that I've given this, but my writing has miraculously changed since I wrote this and I feel it doesn't do justice to the later chapters of this fic, that I just finished. So yeah. By the way, (in case you don't pickup on it) Soul is either one or two years older than Maka is in the last chapter (I don't know for sure, so don't ask me). He's more mature than his age as well, due to how he was raised and what is expected of him, unlike Maka, who no one is expecting anything of as of yet and has a happy family and lifestyle. Anyways, carry on.

Alsarnia: :D  
Soul: What's up with you and smilys?  
Alsarnia: I'm just learning them, so they're fun to mess around with. ^.^'  
Soul: It's getting annoying…  
Alsarnia: You don't like my smilys? orz  
Soul: Yeah that's right.  
Alsarnia: oAo  
Soul: What?  
Alsarnia: D':  
Soul: Stop that!  
Alsarnia: But it's fun :{D  
Soul: what was that?  
Alsarnia: A smily with a mustache  
Soul: That's just weird.  
Alsarnia: Oh well. :P Back to the story  
Soul: That's right, this time it's about the one and only Soul Eater!  
Alsarnia: Evans XD  
Soul: Shut up!  
Alsarnia: Dawww ^3^ , you were such a little man when you were little! So mature and serious. Except for a few spots when you act your age.  
Soul: I had to be mature around my family!  
Alsarnia: . You were also kind of crazy at some points, like near the end  
Soul: -sigh- just start the Saturday already  
Maka: Soul Eater © Ookubo Atsushi

* * *

"Soul, wake up."

Little Soul opened his eyes to see his older brother shaking him awake. "Mother says breakfast is ready, so come down."

With a smile, Wes left his brother's room and went down to the dining room where the rest of the Evans family awaited the boys' presence. Soul spent a while sitting in bed, watching the wall, before getting up and going downstairs. He didn't want to face his family so early in the morning on a Saturday, but he was hungry, so he would go downstairs.

When Soul came down the stairs, dressed and ready for the day, a typical, rich family breakfast scene greeted him. Their family dining room was set in a medium sized room that had the east wall made of glass so they could watch the sun rise while sipping coffee. His father was reading the newspaper and ate without looking at his plate, his mother sat across from him while quietly cutting her egg into small bites, and his brother ate with polite vigor as a maid stood near the door, ready for anything the family could ask of her.

"Good morning, Soul," his parents greeted him.

"Good morning, mother, father, brother," he respectfully said back.

"Good morning, Soul," Wes said politely.

Soul sat down and took a piece of French Toast.

"An exquisite breakfast as always," Soul's dad said, moving a syruped piece of toast past his bushy mustache.

Soul rubbed his wrists, as if they were sore, before muttering something incoherent.

"What was that, son?" his father asked kindly.

Soul dropped his head for a moment before looking up and smiling warmly. "Nothing father. I didn't say anything."

"Alright then, son," his father said, turning back to his newspaper.

"Soul, if you're done with breakfast we can do our morning exercises," Wes said, genuinely happy to get to playing his instrument and wanting to make Soul happy too.

Soul nodded, although inside he was shivering. As they walked to the music room, Soul quivered inwardly again and again thinking about the music that would flow from his brothers fingers. Lifting up the hood to the piano keys he trembled again, but this time in excitement.

He had to admit that while he didn't enjoy playing Bach and Shvendien; he always felt a sort of anxious feeling when he set his fingers against the cool, smooth, white keys. That the shudders were transformed when he sat down on that bench and knew only music would be made and nothing else.

His brother elegantly raised his violin to his shoulder and raised his wand like a doctor with a scalpel, ready to make the first incision. And indeed, his first note cut through the air and through the first keys that came from Souls piano. Fingers flew, wrists snapped, and harsh, battling music was made.

Wes's violin pierced all other sounds in the house, striking emotions with every humming note and only in a simple warm-up. Where as, Souls piano battled, boosted by its players deep want to outdo his brother.

Notes pounded and cut through their whole mansion, making the whole place resound with the combating instruments: a scythe vs. a sword. Each weapon was sharp and eager to pierce each others flesh. The scythe twirled and swung as the sword thrusted and slashed.

Both came close to the conclusion in the song and the weapons were locked into a stalemate. Second to last note, Soul's finger slipped and the scythe was thrown to the side. Final slay and Wes hit it gorgeously, making the whole room tremble. The sword stopped. Inches from Soul's neck.

The song had ended and Wes won the battle. The passion and soul behind Wes' battling was strong and held a brave resonance between his soul and instruments. When it came down to Wes's passion vs. Soul's, the older brother shone brighter. Wes sighed and smiled at his younger brother, whose back was still to him. Soul secretly wiped his forehead with his sleeve and smiled at his brother.

"Good job Wes."

Wes laughed lightly. "You did well too, although I noticed you slipped slightly at the end."

It was a huge struggle not to flinch outwardly. Instead, Soul laughed as well. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Soul, Wes, well done, you both planned beautifully," their mother said, walking in. "You both are improving so much; maybe as a treat tonight we can all play 'Ode to Joy' together."

His mother played the flute and his father played bass clarinet, making a family orchestra. Soul always found it odd that, instead of playing board games like other families, they would play instruments together.

"And afterwards, maybe we can have some ice cream?"

Wes cheered like the young boy he was, but serious Soul only smiled. He loved his mother with all his heart and he knew she loved him too, but why…whenever she was talking to them in that kind, motherly tone other than her music instructor voice…why was it always a maybe?

Wes seemed completely contented with the prospect of music and ice cream and never noticed how she always added that unsure maybe. But with the hatred and envy wiggling its way into Soul's heart, he was quiet and noticed it. He had noticed a lot of things since he stopped acting like a child. If he was ever going to catch up to his brother, he needed to grow up. And that's exactly what he had done.

Wes had no equal to his violin as of yet, and so still spoke in that way that showed he didn't care what happened around him as long as he wasn't affected by it. Wes was only a few years older than Soul and looked at everything with a smile. Soul loved his older brother, but he continued to tell himself that if he wanted to ever compete with Wes he would have to be better than his brother, which meant he had to be more serious, put more passion into his music than his brother. This often led guests to comment on how stoic Soul would often appear as, but the young boy could not bring himself to care what the posh, rich friends of his parents thought.

"Mother, may we play in the yard?" Wes asked.

"Go ahead, boys."

Wes took his quiet brother's hand and led him outside. "Let's play basketball," Wes said.

"But we can't reach the big hoop yet," Soul said, pointing out their lack of height.

"We'll use the little one then," Wes said, brushing it off.

"But it's in the shed and dad says we're not allowed in there."

"Don't be a chicken, I know you can open it because of that thing you do with your finger."

Soul shifted uneasily. He didn't like doing his trick; he didn't know what it was, why it happened and, sometimes, how to change it back. He had only ever shown it to Wes, because he had a feeling if he showed it to his parents they'd get mad.

When he _had_ shown it to his brother, Wes had prompted him to open the lock on the outdoor refrigerator using his finger so they could sneak some ice cream. It had taken nearly an hour for his hand to go back to normal and he had accidentally cut his ice cream cone before he finished it.

"What if my hand doesn't go back to normal? I could break the ball…"

"We'll wait for it to turn back," Wes said confidently.

"Okay…" Soul hesitantly agreed and the two started down the garden path. They reached a large shed that leaned against stone fences covered in vine tendrils.

"Okay; do it," Wes said, Soul nodded and leaned toward the padlock across the door.

He reached his pointer finger out and concentrated. The palm of his hand slowly turned red as his knuckles became black. In a gold flash of light, Soul's hand became the tip of a curved, red and black blade.

Soul started to panic. Of course this had happened before, and after the first couple times, Soul hadn't been quite as surprised anymore, but never before had his whole hand changed. At most his whole finger would turn sharp and at least just the tip of his finger. But never had the flesh up to his wrist fully changed into a blade and now that it had his eyes widened and he started to feel piercing alarm.

"Wes! My whole hand changed! Wes help! W-what if I can't turn it back? I won't be able to play piano anymore!"

Wes stared in shock, basketball forgotten.

"Wes help! Please help, Wes!" Soul said, starting to go into hysterics.

"C-calm down, Soul. I'll go get mom," his older brother assured and turned to run back to the house.

"No! Wes, don't!" Soul reached out to stop him, but did so with his left hand and cut his brothers arm.

Wes cried out, although the cut was small and it barely bled. Soul withdrew fast and tried to cover his mouth in horror but instead cut a deep gash on his cheek. Soul whimpered as both the boys froze, Wes staring at the blood coming from his brother's cheek and Soul with tears in his eyes, looking at his brother and not the dripping substance onto the concrete.

"Please, don't tell mom and dad," Soul cried quietly.

Wes slowly nodded and pulled Soul into a hug, careful of his left hand. "Hey, hey, don't worry. We'll just tell them we tripped on some of the gardeners' tools and cut ourselves on accident. Just calm down."

Slowly, Soul quieted. It was odd, how when playing music, Soul tried to act older and more mature while Wes smiled and skipped around, happily content to bring his emotion out through his playing; but when it came to playing outside, Wes would take charge and lead them through the backyard while Soul quietly followed. And now, Wes was suddenly acting like the big brother he was and Soul was having a younger brother breakdown. It was odd, how those things worked.

Eventually, Wes pulled away and gently took Soul's left arm, petting it calmly. "Now, how do you turn back?"

Soul sniffled. "I don't know. I don't think about it, it just eventually turns back."

"Well…how do you turn into it?"

Soul paused to think about it. "I think about it really hard. My finger turning into a blade like that…and it just does."

"Try and think about your hand turning back." They spent 10 minutes sitting there, Soul concentrating and Wes cooing words of encouragement and putting his arm, until a flash of gold turned his hand back to flesh and blood. Both boys cheered and hugged each other.

"I never want to do that again," Soul sniffed.

"That's okay," Wes said, wiping off some dried blood from his cheek," We'll find another way to sneak ice cream."

Soul nodded and 5 minutes later the boys were climbing trees, laughing, and kicking a normal ball back and forth. When they came in for lunch their mother asked why they were cut and they told her a phony story. She tsked and muttered something as the servant set down grilled cheese for her sons and tall glasses of milk.

After lunch was piano and violin practice that the boys did at separate ends of the house so the others music wouldn't influence their music. As his mother left to check on how Wes was doing, Soul stopped playing. The silence around him was unbearable, but he couldn't bring himself to play.

He stared at the keys, each one a pristine pearl with the occasional shadow dotting the dark sea bed and bleeding in. His fingers twitched as he looked down and raised his hand.

He pressed a note.

"That's me," he said, and moved his finger up to press another note.

"And that's Wes."

He raised both hands and carefully picked out 8 keys; playing each one carefully and listening to the note fade before playing another one. A tear pricked his eyes.

"And these are my friends."

He played his and Wes' keys together and frowned. It wasn't an exceptionally pretty sound. He played his and his 'friends' keys together and frowned deeper at the harsh, but strong melody.

"I've never heard that sound before."

He smiled, not realizing how sharp his teeth were. "It's pretty…cool."

As the door opened again, his eyes snapped closed and his fingers glided to the middle of Beethoven, smile dropping down in a second. His mother smiled, but he didn't see it.

"Time for dinner, Soul."

His playing paused and he looked back at her with a smile. "Coming, mother."

As he followed her to the dining room, a tear dripped off his cheek and, in surprise, he wiped it away. He looked to his mother. Odd. Why didn't she notice? Dinner was fairly silent as his mother and father talked about work that day while he and Wes stayed quiet, not wanting to say anything in case what happened that morning came up.

After dinner, Wes and he were allowed to watch half an hour of TV before going to bed. It was Wes' turn and he wanted to watch ballet. They reached a break point and commercials came on.

Wes grimaced. "Let's skip ahead I want to see Sienna Goudraldie's single dance." As he fast forwarded through the useless waste of time something caught Soul's eye.

"Wait! Go back, what was that?"

Wes glanced at his brother before rewinding to the start of a bright commercial. Soul had thought it was a new cartoon being sponsored because of the guy who was talking, but apparently it wasn't.

"Hey there! Heeello~ooo! Whaasssup?" He pulled out a huge gloved hand and waved. "I'm Shinigami, and this is the DWMA in Death City, Arizona. That stands for Death Weapon Meister Academy, where we train meisters and their weapons to fight the kishin eggs that try to bother you."

A few pictures flicked by of the school's inside. "If you're a weapon, or a meister, then contact us! We have a special spot just for you!" As more pictures flashed by and short videos of students attacking each other, mezmorizing its audience.

Another face came on, this time he was normal with dark skin and black dreadlocks held back with a sweatband.

Soul's eyes widened, admiring the band around his forehead. "Cool…" he muttered as the new guy started to go into detail about this strange school. Suddenly, it flipped to Wes' ballerina show.

"Hey!" Soul said, turning to his brother with a glare.

Wes scowled. "We have 5 minutes left and Sienna's dance is 7 minutes, you can watch commercials when it's your turn."

Soul pouted, but watched the recital quietly. His mom let Wes watch the end, but Soul had to go to bed. His dad helped him take a bath that he took without a struggle, tired from the day's shenanigans.

His mom tucked him in bed and placed a soft kiss on his forehead as he yawned. "Good night, dear. Sweet dreams."

As he started to drift off he thought about the commercial he had seen and wondered how someone could be a weapon. With another yawn he thought_, maybe I'll ask mom and dad tomorrow._

But like his mother, his "maybe" wouldn't come true.

* * *

Alsarnia: You know, you were acting downright crazy, and maybe sadistic during your second piano part.  
Soul: Did you read any of what you wrote? I wasn't sadistic, I was lonely and depressed. What else do you expect from a kid who thinks he's a freak with knife hands and parents who don't care about him?  
Alsarnia: Well I didn't expect your teeth to suddenly turn sharp out of nowhere. What's with that, by the way? Where do you get shark teeth?  
Soul: Don't ask…  
Wes: I remember when we were really little and we would wrestle in the living room. If he started to lose he would bite me and make me bleed.  
Soul: You're such a baby Wes, you didn't bleed; you just freaked out and started to cry because I bit you.  
Alsarnia: Seriously Soul…are you part shark and your parents just forgot to tell you? Wes, do you have teeth like that?  
Wes: Not that I know of…  
Alsarnia: …  
Wes: No.  
Alsarnia: Then where do you get them?  
Soul: They're just normally like that! I'm a friggen scythe-man you think that I'm going to be normal?  
Wes: Hey, does that mean you like meat?  
Soul: What? What does that have to do with anything?  
Wes: Well, having sharp teeth must mean it's easier to chew meat, right?  
Soul: I like fish…  
Alsarnia: T_T  
Soul: What?  
Alsarnia: I am an anti-sea-food-aterian, do not speak of eating fish in my presence.  
Soul: What?  
Alsarnia: I can't say vegetarian because I don't like vegetables and I eat cows and pigs and stuff, so I had to come up with my own word for it  
Wes: Lol, you're not very creative, huh?  
Alsarnia: -pulls out debate sword- would you like to debate that?  
Wes: …no thanks  
Soul: Lol


	3. God Complex

Alsarnia: Hey! Guess who's turn it is this time?

Maka: Hmmm….Kid's?

Alsarnia: Nope. Kid is one of my favorite's, so I'm waiting till I get better at this to write his

Maka: Hey…what does that mean for me, then?

Alsarnia: Eh? It's not that I don't like you Maka, it's just that I like you less, that's all…

Maka: Okay…so who is it?

Alsarnia: Just give him a sec, he'll introduce himself

Black*Star: IT'S MY TURN! THE GREAT BLACK*STAR!

Tsubachi: Honestly…

Maka: Hey, you were right, he did introduce himself!

Alsarnia: I see Black*Star's childhood as a sad one, but him being too ignorant to realize that it's so sad.

Black*Star: What? Sad? Nothing's sad as long as the Great Black*Star is here! BWAHAHAHA!

Tsubachi: Yes, we know

Alsarnia: Come on, I mean, you're parents were killed by your foster parents who took you in while they were still students, right? They had to be away on missions all the time, right? What the heck do you do with a toddler during that time? Plus, you were starting your god complex at the time too

Black*Star: What do you mean, what's a "God Complex"? Oh, I know! It's mean's that I'm as strong as a god, right? HAHA! I know it is! You're quite smart you know, for realizing how strong I am.

Alsarnia: Gee, thanks. I can feel my brain swelling up as we speak

Black*Star: Really? Can I see

Alsarnia: No

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Light shined through the windows of the DWMA's student apartments for the boys. A small bundle of blankets and pillows stirred until a small, blue haired boy sat up with a long yawn. He blinked for a moment and glanced at the window before falling back down and snoring again.

Half an hour later he woke up again and went to get dressed into grey pants, sandals, and a bright blue shirt with a large black star printed on the front. He went to the bathroom connected to his room and climbed up on the counter to brush his teeth and comb his hair into a star shape. He blinked at himself in the mirror for a moment before falling off the counter and onto a plush rug that was set there exactly for this reason. Black*Star slept for 10 more minutes on the bathroom floor.

When he finally woke up, and intended to stay awake, he left his apartment and walked a couple blocks through town to a simple house squished between other houses. He knocked on the door and waited a minute for Nygus to open the door.

"Good morning Black*Star," she greeted, holding the door open with one hand and keeping one of her gauze wraps tight with the other. Black*Star walked in with a light good morning as she finished tying off her gauze. This was how Nygus got ready in the morning.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"I could eat a horse!" he said; awake now that he smelled bacon and syrup.

"Help yourself," she said, giving him a plate of waffles and bacon that had been kept warm by staying in the oven.

As Black*Star ate, Nygus cleaned the kitchen up.

"Where's Sid?" he asked after a while, hoping to see the older man.

"He's talking to Shinigami-sama," the older woman replied.

"Are you guys going on a mission today?" he asked.

"I think so, I'll give you some money for lunch and dinner, we may be gone tomorrow too, so you'll have to go out to town for food."

"Okay," Black*Star said easily. He ate a minute more before saying, "How come I can't ever come with you guys?"

Nygus chuckled a bit. "Because you're young and not strong enough."

Black*Star frowned. "Not strong enough. I'm strong enough! I'm stronger than a dinosaur!" Black*Star jumped off his chair and ran to the couch to try and heave it up.

Nygus laughed at the little kid trying to lift the couch. "It seems dinosaurs are smaller than they used to be."

Black*Star huffed, giving up the couch. "What's strong, and my size?"

Nygus thought a moment, dish towel still in hand, and said, "How about a God?"

"A God," Black*Star said in awe. He started jumping on the couch. "I'm as strong as a God, no, I'm stronger than a God! Watch!" He leapt off the cushions and started running around the house, looking for books until he made a stack half his size.

Nygus watched in interest and clapped when he lifted it off the ground (admittedly haven taken some things off when he wasn't in the room). Black*Star seemed thoroughly proud of himself.

"See how strong I am? I'm better than a God, huh? So can I come with you?"

Nygus patted his head. "Maybe when you're older."

Black*Star finished breakfast and Nygus locked up behind them after giving him the money needed to last 2 days. She kneeled down and said in the strictest tone he had heard her talk in.

"Don't die."

Black*Star saluted. Nygus left the child, all alone, for the weekend.

"Hmm," he mused to himself as he walked through the park, searching for ways to show off his new found 'Godly' strength. "At least I don't have school." He noticed some boys his age going across the monkey bars. "Ah! That's perfect!" He climbed up to the other boys, who ignored him.

"Hi! My name's Black*Star!" he said in a loud, demanding voice, but the boys were determined to ignore him.

He huffed. He didn't like being ignored. At the top of his lungs he shouted, "IT IS I! THE GREAT BLACK*STAR! I'M GREATER THAN EVEN THE GODS THEMSELVES!"

"Ow! Stop shouting," one boy said, finally turning around.

"Who is this kid?" asked the other.

Black*Star pouted. "Didn't you hear me? I'm Black*Star! Greater than—"

"Yeah, we heard you."

"Hard not to."

He grinned in satisfaction. "What are you guys doing?"

"Monkey bars, and these ones are hard because they're for big kids, Billy's too scared to go though."

The blond little boy, Billy, flinched. "N-no I'm not! I'm just not tall enough to reach the first bar."

Black*Star saw his chance and puffed out his chest. "_I_ can do the monkey bars," he boasted. He had always been a boaster, but because of his growing ego he had started taking on harder missions.

He scampered up the set equipment to the bars like the ninja he was intended to have been. He was about to grab the first bar when he noticed how far away the next one and the next one were. He flinched, but looking down at Billy and the other unnamed boy he realized he couldn't back down. So he laughed loudly to cover up that he had been afraid and smiled at them.

"Just watch! I'll make it over this easily. I'm better than even a God!" He grabbed the first rung and swung forward, stretching his small hand out, and missed. As he swung back he noticed the other boys looking skeptical. He wouldn't be beaten by the monkey bars! He was better than a dinosaur! He was better than a God!

He swung his feet forward and let go, immediately shooting his hand out and swinging forward again to soar to the next one. When he got to the last one, he jumped down and landed in a crouch, savoring the applause he got from the other boys. Black*Star's new friends, Billy and Charlie, really did believe he was as great as a God, and invited him to the picnic their parents had set up.

After eating sandwiches, cheese crackers in the shapes of skulls, and apple juice, the boys played and Black*Star searched for more ways to prove how incredible he was. Young kids were easy to impress, so Black*Star could keep them going for hours. Until _he_ came.

"Lookit!" Charlie pointed, "It's Malcolm!" Everyone who went to the park knew who Malcolm was. He was the teenager who smoked at the park benches and teased any kids who came near him. One time a little girl named Sophie had told him smoking was bad, and she was never seen again. They say Malcolm had stuffed her in a trash can and she had to eat fish bones for a week before the garbage man saved her. No one came near him unless they had a death wish.

Except Black*Star, who, even as a child, was an all around idiot.

He smiled at his new friends. "I bet that I can beat up Malcolm," he boasted.

The other boys' eyes widened. "Really? But you can't! You'll end up like Sophie!"

Black*Star psshhed them and flexed his chubby little boy arms. "I'm stronger than Sophie! Just watch, I'll make him run away and never make that gross cloud again!"

Charlie and Billy watched in awe as Black*Star sauntered off to the park bench where Malcolm puffed his cigarette. He stood only a food away when the older boy noticed him.

"I'M THE GREAT BLACK*STAR! TREMBLE, BECAUSE I WILL DEFEAT YOU SO YOU NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!"

Malcolm laughed. "So you're going to beat me up, kid?" he asked, cigarette handing dangerously from his mouth. Black*Star moved into a position that the older boy smirked at and got ready to charge. Malcolm stood up, one hand in his pocket, smiling to himself.

"Alright, but don't go crying to your mommy when you skin your knee."

"Easy, I don't have a mom."

Black*Star punched the boys shin that the teen just sighed at and noogied the kid, making him cry out. When he finally wiggled free the older boy was trying to give him a wet willy and was bent over towards him. Black*Star jumped onto the bench and onto Malcolm's back, straddling his chest and grabbing his hair. Black*Star ripped a chunk of his hair out, making him shriek like a little girl.

"Get offa' me you brat!" he yelled, trying to reach behind him and grab Black*Star's shirt. Seeing the hands reach for him, the boy panicked and did what his instincts told him to. Another, more manly shriek, escaped Malcolm as Black*Star chomped down on his ear. As the younger kid was finally dislodged, he fell on the concrete and ripped the knees of his of his pants.

He fought back tears for a moment and stood back up, only to be punched in the face…hard. Malcolm was furious, his ear was bleeding and a chunk of his scalp was probably missing.

"You damn brat!" he yelled.

Black*Star spit on the sidewalk, a tooth coming out. He stared at it in shock for a moment before picking it up and pocketing his tooth. He stood up to face Malcolm and, to the other boy's surprise, started laughing.

"I have to thank you," he said.

"What the hell are you talking about, shrimp?" Malcolm yelled.

"My tooth fell out, so now, in the morning, imma' get a quarter!"

"What the—" Before he could finish, Black*Star swung his leg up and hit him in the junk. A sharp zap pulsed through his body as Black*Star unknowingly released his soul wavelength. Malcolm fell to the ground in a groaning fetal position with smoke coming dramatically from his mouth. Billy and Charlie cheered as Black*Star stood atop his fallen opponent.

"See! I'm better than even the Gods!" he said. After they stared in awe at his tooth, claiming how incredible it was, their parents called them back to go home. Black*Star hadn't bothered to tell them the tooth had been a baby tooth, already loose. It was cooler to see it as a battle wound.

He looked down at his pants to find them ripped and his knees bleeding slightly. That was fine, he could just ask Nygus to—he stopped, realizing that that he had been walking to Sid's house.

He stopped for only a moment before heading to the DWMA where they would serve you any meal all day long for a few dollars. The food they had was good, but not as good as Sids. He could make a really good steak. He had a cheese burger, French fries, and a cola for dinner.

There were a few older kids there, students who had nothing to do and no where to go on a Saturday night. He sat alone, but close to the line so that whenever the people thinned he could hear the lunch ladies gossip. He didn't know them, or half the stuff they talked about, but it was nice just to hear the ladies talk.

"I heard Sid and Nygus went on the Virginia mission for the weekend," one said.

"No!" the other gasped, "I heard that 3 miesters came back with serious wounds from that!"

"Hmm, yes, but they were all 1 stars, Sid and Nygus are 2 stars, they should be fine."

Black*Star thought about that. Two stars? He heard that the one stars got beat up. He frowned. His name only had one star, but the one stars got beat up. He smiled proudly at his genius. He would just spell his name with _3_ stars! He would be Black***Star! He frowned, realizing how hard it would be to spell. Maybe, he'd just start with one star, but add more later! He was so smart!

"I heard it was an order from Shinigami-sami himself!"

"The principle of the school?"

"Yes, yes, and the Lord of Death!"

"The Grim Reaper."

"Death itself."

"A true God!"

"A God?" Black*Star muttered, pausing halfway through his burger. He listened more closely.

"Yes, I've heard that, in his day, he was the most powerful person ever known! No one was as strong as him; he's a god, after all."

"No one as strong as him," Black*Star repeated.

"And yet, he lives like a human, even has a house, I hear!"

"Yes, yes, Gallows Manor, nearby the school. It's huge, truly fitting of a God!"

"I've heard that ghosts walk to and from the house, running errands for him, that they're kishin souls working for him to regain their right to pass on."

"Yes! The kishin ghosts, I've heard that too!"

"He has ghost servants?" Black*Star said in awe. Why hadn't Sid told him about this?

"I wonder why he decided to open this school?"

"I heard it was because he felt guilty for the dead souls of children who never went to the school."

"Really?"

The first lunch lady nodded vigorously. "I mean, imagine being the Grim Reaper, having to watch each soul as it passes on."

"How horrible! I see now why he would feel that way."

Black*Star tuned out, they weren't talking about how strong he was anymore and he had a short attention span. The ladies chatted on; blissfully unaware of how the kindergartener was planning to sneak up on the Death God and prove how he was truly stronger than a God.

He yawned and realized it was getting late, that it was starting to grow dark out. Sid always said it was dangerous for people fewer than 3.5 feet tall to walk around at night. So he set his dishes with all the other dirty ones and left the DWMA cafeteria. He made it back to his apartment easily, following another student pair to the boys' dorm.

He changed into his dinosaur pajamas and brushed his teeth. He looked at himself in the mirror, something he did every night, and asked his reflection, "Did I live up to myself today?"

For a moment his reflection was silent then it smiled back at him. "Are you kidding? I have new followers, Charlie and Billy, who said they'd meet me tomorrow at the park. I defeated Malcolm and got back at him for locking Sophie in a trashcan for a week. And I found a God for me to target tomorrow."

He leaned forward to the mirror. "Can you do better tomorrow?"

The real Black*Star smirked. "Of course!"

The reflection gave a thumbs up and faded. Black*Star fell over again onto the rug. He yawned. He turned off the light and crawled into the jumbled mess of blankets he called his bed. After a moment he sat up again and went to his laundry hamper, where his dirty clothes sat. He dug into his bad and took out his tooth.

He carefully set it under his pillow and made an effort to straighten his covers. He laid down more carefully, resting his head gently where the tooth was. He was excited. The tooth fairy had never missed a visit.

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Black*Star: WWWAAAHHH! What a sad story!

Tsubachi: It's your story, it happened to you…

Black*Star: Oh yeah, I cried the next day when the tooth fairy didn't come too

Alsarnia: That just makes it sadder!

Maka: Jeez, Black*Star, your childhood sucked

Black*Star: What do you mean? My childhood was awesome! I totally forgot about that Malcolm guy!

Tsubachi: Whatever happened to him?

Black*Star: He came back the next day with a bunch of his friends and threw me into a trash can where I had to wait until Sid and Nygus got back home

Alsarnia: Seriously?

Tsubachi: How come you didn't just get out

Black*Star: …Tsubachi…I was in kindergarten…I wasn't nearly as awesome as I am now

Alsarnia: Wow. So that Sophie story was true?

Black*Star: Sophie turned out to be his little sister

Tsubachi: And their parents let him get away with that?

Black*Star: How am I supposed to know? I don't spy on their family when I have free time, that'd be a waste, watching a guy that I'm clearly superior to!

Alsarnia: Yup, that sounds just about right

Tsubachi: Oi, Alsarnia…shut up

Alsarnia: Yes ma'am…in a second. You know, next time is going to be you're childhood. But I still had no idea of anything special to happen on your day, unlike the others. Like Maka getting the Maka-chop, Soul getting his pointy teeth for the first time, and Black*Star starting his God Complex

Black*Star: So basically Tsubachi had a boring childhood?

Tsubachi: -ninja star-

Black*Star: -ninja star to the head-

Alsarnia: Yeah, that's basically it

Tsubachi: -ninja star#2-

Alsarnia: -ninja star to the head-

Tsubachi: Due to the other two hosts being unable to speak for the moment, I personally will ask all the readers to review. Alsarnia won't leave us alone about how few reviews she's gotten

Kid: Make sure there are _exactly_ 88 reviews please!


	4. The Smell of a Tsubaki

Alsarnia: Tsubaki, what is wrong with you?

Tsubaki: Eh! I didn't know there was something wrong…

Alsarnia: Yes, your childhood was boring.

Tsubaki: Oh, is that all?

Alsarnia: Yes. You were a normal child and it's freaking me out.

Tsubaki: Eh? I thought you'd be relieved to write about something normal.

Alsarnia: Yeah, but you didn't do anything. You just played with your brother and didn't get in trouble like a good little girl.

Tsubaki: I didn't realize I was doing childhood incorrectly

Alsarnia: That's right. So make it more exciting!

Black*Star: Hey! Are you making fun of Tsubaki?

Alsarnia: Why on earth would I do that?-sarcasm-

Black*Star: Oh, yeah, I guess you're right.

Tsubaki: Black*Star, did you know that I was doing my childhood incorrectly?

Black*Star: Well, if it's wrong then just make it more like mine, 'cause everything about me is perfect!

Tsubaki: Ah, I see. I'll do that then.

Alsarnia: How's she going to turn back time?

Tsubaki: I was going to ask Black*Star

Black*Star: Haha! See? Tsubaki is so smart, coming to me for this sort of thing! Don't you worry about it; I can take us back in time whenever I want to!

Tsubaki: -incredibly sarcastic- I know you can

Maka: Soul Eater © Ookubo Atsushi

A little girl with long, black hair woke up to the sunlight drifting into her room and quietly got up, moving aside her plush blankets so she could shuffle out of her bed. She glanced to the other side of the room where her brother was sleeping. He mumbled in his sleep and she smiled. He looked so peaceful in his sleep.

Little Tsubaki tip-toed out of the room and went into the kitchen, putting on a cute pink apron over her pajama's and pulling a chair to the counter. There was no real reason to wear the apron since she just made toast, a glass of juice, and some hard boiled eggs, but it made her feel like a chef when she wore the pink, frilly item so she always insisted on wearing it while in the kitchen.

When she finished cleaning up the juice she had spilled from her shaky, morning fingers, she went back to her room and leaned over her older brother. She smiled lightly at his peaceful, sleeping face.

"Onii-san," she whispered, shaking him slightly, "Wake up, I made breakfast."

Masamune woke up to Tsubaki's glowing smile. He always thought that his sister was so cute, especially when she was trying to please him for one reason or another; it was adorable how she would try so hard to make her brother happy. He smiled back. "Thank you onee-chan, I'm sure it'll be delicious! Why don't you get mom and dad?"

She nodded and went to wake up their parents. "Mommy! Daddy! I made breakfast!" she said, less gentle with waking them up than she had been with her brother.

Her mother groaned under the sheets. "Give mommy and daddy a minute to get up and we'll meet you at the table."

"Okay!" the little girl agreed brightly before skipping out of their bedroom. Her parents vaguely thought about how odd it was for the roles of the family to be switched as such before beginning the task of actually waking up.

When Tsubaki came back to the dining room, Masamune was waiting, nibbling on some toast.

Tsubaki grinned. "How is it, onii-san?"

He smiled, nodded, and started to crack his boiled egg. She slowly sipped her juice until their parents joined them and commented happily on how good of a cook Tsubaki was becoming. She couldn't use the stove, grill, or sharp knives yet, but she believed herself to be incredible.

After her mother had cleared it away, she started the teapot while their father read the newspaper and the children discussed play-doh. She poured each family member a cup of jasmine tea, which they sipped happily and continued their calming discussion. Mrs. Nakastukasa always said that the best way to start a morning was by drinking tea and relaxing a bit.

Tsubaki breathed in the scent of morning and jasmine tea, enjoying the scent and how it made her feel slightly light headed. She took a big gulp and breathed a content sigh.

Her brother laughed.

"What?" she asked him, widening her big doe eyes in surprise.

"You looked funny when you did that! Like this." Masamune tried to mimic her and she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

Masamune repeated the action and she laughed again as their parents smiled at the both of them. Like all parents, they loved to see their children get along.

"Hey, big brother, can we go play?"

They looked to their mom with a silent plea.

She smiled at her two children. "Alright, stay in the backyard though, and change out of your pajama's before you start playing." The two cheered and, after changing into play clothes, went outside to play.

"What do you want to do?" her brother asked when they finally stood in front of the pond with their day clothes on.

She thought for a moment, scrunching up her face. She kind of wanted to play princess and knight, but she knew that her brother didn't like playing that. Finally, she gave up on thinking what to play and said, "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Hmm…let's play pirates!" he immediately answered, having thought about what he wanted to play while his sister did the same. This happened often; he would ask his sister what she wanted to play and she would ask him the same question and they would do what he wanted. He was used to it and had no complaints.

"Okay!" she nodded enthusiastically at his suggestion.

"You're a captain of your ship and I'm a captain of mine. You're trying to get my gold, okay?" he explained as he directed her to the other side of the pond to start.

Tsubaki agreed and they commenced playing, pretending to wave swords at each other and being scolded by their mother when they got too close to falling into the pond. At the climax of their playing, Tsubaki had gotten close to the treasure and the two were locked in a stalemate with a couple of sticks to use in place of swords.

"Arg! You'll never get me treasure!" Masamune said, voice heavy with a pirate accent.

Tsubaki giggled, but inside she was biting her lip. Her father had shown her how to fix this predicament in a couple of moves, but if she beat her brother then he would be sad. She didn't want her brother to be sad. So she faked it and fell to her brother's pretend sword.

"I've defeated the pirate!" Masamune said triumphantly. He helped her up and they dusted themselves off.

"That was fun," Tsubaki said, smiling.

But Masamune was smiling and his eyes sparkled happily; that was all she needed to feel happy.

"Maybe later we can play ninjas, right?"

"Yeah!" she answered happily, though on the inside, she felt a sort of dread for the coming game of ninjas.

She didn't like playing violent games like the ones her brother liked. She'd rather play dolls. But she knew her brother didn't like playing her girly games and she didn't want to see him sad, so she played her brother's games without complaint.

In all honesty…she felt bad for him. She would never tell her brother this because he would get angry and stomp around, and she would get sad seeing her brother unhappy. But it all had to do with being weapons. It always came back to that.

Masamune, being the first born of their family, was supposed to be able to change into several different Japanese ninja weapons, but for some reason, this trait skipped him and he was left with only the Japanese katana instead of all the weapons. In return, the family trait had been passed onto Tsubaki.

Their father was always talking about how proud he was of Tsubaki and all her transformations. The right to carry the family's name into this generation had been stolen from Masamune and given to Tsubaki and she didn't see this as fair at all. Whenever she looked at her brother she saw the pain he felt for having this supposed right taken from him. All she wanted was to see him be happy. That, in turn, would make her happier than she could ever be playing house.

"Mommy, did you see me? I beat Tsubaki at pirates!" he boasted to their mother, who had been watching them play for a while.

"Very good job, both of you," she said, smiling warmly at her son.

They played inside from then and Tsubaki got her wish to play dolls, although they only played for a little while before her brother became bored and they chased their cat around the house until lunch.

Their father had already left for work, so it was just Tsubaki, Masamune, and their mother eating freshly made spring rolls. When she was done, Tsubaki left the table and went outside for a minute. When she came back she had 3 white flowers in her hands, being crushed by her little, chubby fingers.

"What are these?" her mother asked, coldly.

"They're tsubaki flowers from the garden!"

Her mother scowled. "You know you're not allowed to pick flowers from the garden, especially not without asking first."

"But I got them for you and brother…" she said, sniffing slightly at the scolding.

Her mother sighed in defeat. "Alright then, dear, we'll take them this one time, but no more picking flowers like that."

Tsubaki nodded as she handed off the flowers to her family and put her own in her hair.

"Mom," Masamune said suddenly. She looked up at him. "Why is it that tsubaki flowers don't smell like anything?"

Their mother smiled. "Tsubaki flowers are just like that, that's the way they are. Nothing can change it."

"But _why_?"

"You see Masamune," their mother answered, putting up with the persistent questions, "Tsubaki flowers are silent and have no scent. Their color is white, not an especially pretty color, and when it withers no one notices until it is dead. It's a very tragic flower."

The kids gazed in awe at the flower.

Tsubaki looked up sadly at her mother. "I'm Tsubaki too, does that mean I'm a tragmik flower too?"

Their mother smiled and hugged her daughter. "Tsubaki, you are much more beautiful than a silly, white flower."

Tsubaki smiled and fiddled with her flower. "Thank you, mommy."

Masamune frowned at his flower, stuck his nose in, and took a big whiff. After sneezing from the pollen he said, "I still don't smell anything."

"Tsubaki, Masamune, why don't you two read or play until your father gets home?"

Masamune got out his collection of books that he liked to read on the porch and sat down silently. Tsubaki tied a big hat on her head, put on some gloves, and got a toy shovel out to play with the flowers.

Whenever she came across a weed, which she had been taught to tell the difference between with flowers when her mother noticed the child's interest in the garden, she would scowl and dig it up. She hauled buckets to and from the faucet and the garden plots. She searched for worms in the grass and would relocate them to the soft, now moist dirt for the plants.

As she grew tired of gardening, she sat in front of the huge bush of tsubaki flowers that were nestled by the pond. She sniffed every flower she could reach very carefully, but could not smell their hidden scent.

She frowned and scowled at the plant. "I'm Tsubaki too; can't _I_ at least smell you?" She sighed when another sniff came to naught. "Fine then, I'll smell really good and you can all be super jealous."

Tsubaki snuck into her mother's room and started spraying herself with perfume, but when she started coughing from the cloud that had accumulated around her she was caught and scolded. Tsubachi was happy though. She was a Tsubaki flower with a beautiful scent.

When their father got home Masamune bragged about beating Tsubaki as his sister wafted as much of her flowery scent she could before his eyes started to water. When he had changed into more casual clothes he came back out and smiled at his daughter.

"Alright Tsubachi, let's practice with your weapon transformation a little, shall we?"

"Can I do it too?" Masamune asked happily.

"I'll work with you after Tsubaki, alright?" Their father assured with a smile.

Her brother frowned but nodded, returning to the porch where he could watch.

"Alright Tsubaki, first I want you to turn into your ninja sword form."

"Alright daddy." Tsubaki glowed yellow for a minute before she zapped into a beam of light and appeared as a short sword in her father's hand.

"Very good, you're getting faster," her father praised, "Now, try your smoke bomb."

"Oh no you don't," her mother called from the house, scowling. "The last time you practiced that in the backyard the neighbors thought there was a fire and called the fire department."

"Alright, alright, try your ninja star form."

It took longer for her to change again, but she eventually changed into a small star that fit into the palm of his hand.

He leaned down so he was looking into her reflection. "You took a little longer to transform into that one, huh?"

"Sorry daddy," Tsubaki said, internally cursing herself.

"That's fine, let's practice a little more." Tsubaki ended up practicing for nearly an hour before her father was satisfied with her changing time improvement. "Good job hun, now, tomorrow we'll go hiking and work on your smoke bomb, alright?"

"Okay daddy!" Tsubaki hummed happily as she skipped to the kitchen to help her mother with dinner and Masamune quickly took her place in training from their father.

"Mommy, mommy, what are we having for dinner?" she asked, hopping into the kitchen and putting on her frilly apron.

Her mother smiled down at her daughter with a look of love and pride that only mothers can have. "We're having sushi and rice balls for dinner, dear. Would you like to help me make the rice balls?"

Tsubaki cheered happily and started shaping the sticky rice into seemingly random forms. When they were done, her mother wiped her arm over her forehead and smiled again. "Why don't you tell the boys that dinner's done while I put it on the table?"

Tsubaki scampered out to the garden and saw the men of the family sparring. Well, Masamune throwing punches at their father and Dad keeping himself from beating the child up.

"Dinner Time!" she called and the battle halted. Of course, the only thing that could get boys to stop what their doing immediately is food.

"What's for dinner, sweetie?" her father asked, straightening up and brushing some dirt from his robes.

Tsubaki beamed. "I made rice balls and mommy made sushi!"

Her father chuckled and picked her up. "Sounds delicious! Masamune—"

Tsubaki's older brother rocketed into the house after the sushi, but was held back at the last second by their mother.

"Wait until it's on the table, Masamune. Why don't you go wash your hands while you wait?" their mother scolded as she set the dish out for the family.

Everyone sat down on the mats, after washing their hands, eyeing the sushi and wondering how the rice balls ended up in such odd shapes.

"Itadakimasu!" The boys tore through the rice and fish, hungry after their day's work.

"These rice balls are delicious," Sanjuro said, winking at his daughter.

Tsubaki beamed. "Yeah, I made them! Mommy made the rice, but I shaped them."

"Is this a snowman?" Masamune asked, grimacing at his misshapen and lumpy rice ball.

Tsubaki pouted. "It's a bunny!"

Finding the shape, he bit the rabbit's head off.

"Masamune! You ate its head!"

"Yummy."

"Don't worry, dear, rice balls are meant to be eaten, so it's okay. You can help me make more for lunch tomorrow," her mother said comfortingly.

Tsubaki brightened and ate some salmon. "I'll make a fish for Daddy, and bird for mommy, and a jellyfish for onii-san!"

Masamune choked on some rice. "A jellyfish? Why me?"

Tsubaki blinked. "I thought you liked jellyfish?"

Her brother pouted and blushed a little. "Well, yea, I do…"

"Then I'll make you a jellyfish!"

As their parents laughed and Tsubaki smiled happily at her older sibling, Masamune only stuttered, but didn't object again.

"Alright then, it's time for a bath, then bed time," their mother announced.

Tsubaki grimaced. "I don't manna take a bath."

"You still smell like you swam in perfume, and if you don't wash it off then it will start to smell bad, okay?"

Tsubaki hopped up and ran for the bathroom. If she was a Tsubaki flower that smelled _bad_ then her brother would make fun of her again.

After taking a bath (and making a huge mess with the bubbles) with her mother's help, she put on her bed robes and snuggled under her futon. Masamune was already in their room and throwing ninja stars at the target on the wall.

"Do you want to play?" Tsubaki asked, seeing that her brother was bored.

He set down the stars and yawned. "Naw, I'm tired."

Their father came in at that moment. "Ready to go to bed?"

The kids nodded, so he tucked in his little girl with a kiss on the forehead and was about to do the same to his son before Masamune stopped him.

"I don't need to be tucked in dad, I'm too old for that."

Their father smirked. "So I suppose you don't want your nightlight on either?"

Masamune looked panicked. "No! Turn it on, please?"

Their dad chucked and flipped the switch on while going out the door. "Night kids, I love you."

"Love you dad!" they chorused as he closed the door. It was silent for a moment before Masamune started shifting around. Tsubaki looked over to see her brother looking uncomfortable.

Tsubaki watching him for a minute before whispering, "Onii-san?"

He paused, listening. "Do you want me to tuck you in?"

More silence, then, "Just this once."

Tsubaki threw off her covers and scampered over to her brother, tucking in his blanket, then planting a soft kiss on his forehead. "Good night, onii-san, I love you."

Tsubaki climbed back into her bed and a moment later heard her brother mutter. "I love you too."

Tsubaki smiled just before going to sleep.

Alsarnia: See! Boring yet slightly angsty childhood!

Tsubaki: Ah, I see…I'm sorry for my misbehavior

Black*Star: If I were you I'd beat up Masamune when playing pirates because no one defeats the great Black*Star! AHAHAHAHAHA!

Everyone: -sweatdrops-

Alsarnia: Yeah, okay…so, as some of you may have noticed, I've been editing the other chapters of this fic. This is because I finished writing, but not typing the last chapters of this fic. I looked between my writing when I started this and how I ended with it and was stunned with the improvements I've made in my writing. So I've been going back to fix earlier chapters so they resemble my last ones a little more.

Black*Star: And of course mine doesn't need fixing because it's already too awesome!

Alsarnia: -whispers to Tsubaki- Actually, I just haven't gotten around to fixing his yet

Tsubaki: -whispers- let's keep that to ourselves for now, yeah?

Alsarnia: -nods enthusiastically- right

Black*Star: Hey, hey, don't whisper like that! Tiny voices can't be heard by such a big guy like me!

Alsarnia: I find it odd how this chapter is about Tsubaki, yet in the authors notes Black*Star kinda dominates…

Tsubaki: That's just how he is I suppose. I don't really mind anyways, I like seeing him have so much energy

Black*Star: See? This is why Tsubaki is the only other person who can stand in the spotlight with me! Because she truly sees my greatness and makes me shine even brighter!

Tsubaki: -blushes- Black*Star…

Black*Star: And she can make rice balls in the shape of jellyfish too!

Alsarnia: -sweatdrops- right…by the way, I wasn't sure which one was correct: onii-san or nii-san, so I just put the first one, if I should change it, let me know in a review. Until next chapter! Bye!


	5. Cold Nights

Alsarnia: And thus we come to the single chapter that makes me consider changing the rating of this fanfiction!  
Liz: Our childhood was dark, there's nothing we can do about that  
Patti: There weren't even any hippos around in Brooklyn!  
Kid: I must admit I am curious as to how you two grew up since you don't like to talk about it much  
{Liz and Patti share a glance and start pushing Kid away}  
Kid: Wh-what?  
Liz: We don't want _you_ to listen  
Patti: Plug your ears Kiddo!  
Kid: But why?  
Alsarnia: As I said before, this chapter is extremely _dark_. Liz and Patti weren't exactly innocent during their younger years  
Liz: Yeah, and we don't want you thinking about what we did _before _now that we've changed  
Kid: I would never see either of you as anything but the beautiful, completely unsymmetrical girls you are today, I can swear to that  
{Liz and Patti blush}  
Patti: Kid is so cute!  
Liz: Geez, fine, you can stay  
Kid: -pleased- Good, we can start now, Alsarnia  
Alsarnia: -whispers to herself- Damn Kid you're so friggin hot –clears throat- Alright then, Maka?  
Maka: Soul Eater © Ookubo Atsushi

* * *

It was cold.

So cold.

Too cold for a couple of children who huddled in a closet together. That closet was their sanctuary. Only the two of them could fit in there, plus a single pillow, a thin blanket, and the little odds and ends they called their toys. A thrown away pinwheel that had one of the flaps torn, and an empty pizza box that had a mouth and eyes drawn on it for their entertainment.

Little Patti shivered and Little Liz puller her closer. This happened every night. Their mother would order them into the closet and Elizabeth and Patricia would huddle together to keep warm and keep each other from making any noises all through the night. If they did make any noises then their mother would drag both of them out and would beat whoever she got to first.

This was more than often Liz; even if it was Patti who had made the noise, Liz would purposefully let herself get caught so her younger sister wouldn't be hurt.

Well, half-sister, but they thought this tiny fact made them even closer than they would be if they were normal sisters. Liz saw Patti as a precious treasure that, even if their mother didn't appreciate her, she held close and would do anything to make her happy.

Patti saw Liz as her brave, independent, older sister that she always wanted to see smile rather than the serious expression that hovered over her young face.

These girls had no idea what was going to become of them; Liz knew her mother was a prostitute and tried to keep this fact away from Patti's innocent mind, but it was only a matter of time before the younger girl asked why a different man came to their apartment every night, or what the noises coming from outside their closet were, or why their mother didn't want any of the men to know the girls existed. Liz wanted Patti to be happy and innocent for as long as possible, a happy ray of sunshine in the cold streets of Brooklyn.

There was shuffling outside the closet and Liz froze, knowing her mother's latest client was leaving. There was talking, money was exchanged, and the door closed. A few minutes later, the closet door opened to reveal their mother with a tired smile on her face.

Sure, their mother made them sleep in a freezing closet, beat them when they ruined her business, and made them beg on the streets while taking all the money at the end of the day, but she still loved them, right? She always let them out of the closet when the client left, and gave them the same smile every morning, and she only ate as much as the girls ate, sometimes less.

But, when they didn't bring enough money, she would yell at them and every once and a while she would look at them in absolute disgust, as if she loathed their very existence. But she still loved them, _right_?

Liz gently shook Patti awake and the girls shuffled out of the cold closet and to the two person table they called their dining room table, even though it was only feet away from the bed. As their mother went over the money she had to separate it between bills, food, and the small pile for other necessities, Patti told Liz about her dream.

"…and there were two doggies, pretty doggies that had all their fur and teeth, and they played all day long in the streets and nobody tried to mug them. And they had a _whole pizza_ for dinner and found a really nice box to sleep in that night and they all cuddled and were really happy. Wasn't that a nice dream, sis?" Patti looked at her sister with wide, innocent eyes and Liz smiled back.

"That's a beautiful dream, Patti."

Patti looked very proud of herself and started to go into deeper detail as her sister half listened and half thought. She had read book before, and Mr. Andrews had told them enough for her to know that Patti's version of a beautiful dream was screwed and twisted from her surroundings and how she'd been raised.

Their mother slapped down three dollars on the table and the girls pounced on the money. Liz had to be a little proud of how quickly Patti had reacted to the sight of it.

"Go buy some tater tots from Deathdonalds and go out to beg, okay girls?"

The two nodded and headed out the door, happy to get away from the room and anywhere else into the dirty town. Patti skipped on the sidewalk while holding her sister's hand as Liz watched every passerby and regarded every person as a potential threat to the sisters.

They had their tater tot breakfast and Liz pocketed the cash that was given back. She had been saving up pennies and coins, stashing them away from their mother in hopes they could eventually buy a better blanket for their freezing nights.

They then made their way to the "panhandle corner" as some of the hobos called it, and settled in together. Patti cuddled close to Liz, it was warmer outside than in the closet since it was summer, but the smog of the city blocked out most of the sun and sent a chill through the air. Liz let the seriousness and depression of her life settle into their eyes and held out her hands to the passerby, careful not to jostle Patti.

"Please, spare some extra change for a couple of penniless girls?"

A woman made eye contact and Liz knew she had caught the woman. They could never resist whenever they looked at her sad and older-than-they-should-be eyes.

The woman gave her a dollar and Patti looked up at her happily.

"Thank you so much, lady!"

The woman hesitated, then left. After pocketing the money and letting Patti rearrange herself, Liz went back to the crowd, looking for more people to take money from. Around lunch time, the girls got up and left the "panhandle corner", Liz leading Patti by the hand to a shabby old bookstore several blocks away. Upon entering, Patti sprinted behind the counter, but kept herself from shouting, just barely.

"Mr. Andrews! Do you have any customers yet?"

Mr. Andrews gave the girls an old, wrinkly smile, so much warmer than their mothers. "No, no one's here right now. Hello girls, how has your, eh, panhandling gone today?"

Liz dug the money from her pocket and showed it to him, the only other person than their mother who she would show it to. "Ten dollars and fifty-three cents," she said, proud of the good job she had done.

Mr. Andrews laughed light-heartedly and, after making sure Patti wasn't knocking anything over, said, "How about I make some sandwiches for lunch, yeah?"

Liz nodded happily, stomach growling slightly from lack of food. As Mr. Andrews went into the backroom to make lunch, the girls sifted through the books in the store, looking for ones they could read easily. Neither of the girls enjoyed reading or studying at all, but Liz insisted on learning at least simple things, like reading, writing, and math.

They had tried going to the public library a little farther away, but the people there were snobs and wouldn't let them in unless they had membership cards, which cost money they didn't have. It had been absolute luck that they'd met the old Mr. Andrews and that he'd grown fond enough of them to feed them lunch nearly every day.

He was too old to be a father figure to them, so they saw him more as their long lost grandfather. Patti had even had a dream once of them being "Liz and Patti Andrews" instead of "Elizabeth and Patricia Thomson".

The older man came out with cheddar and salami sandwiches and the girls dug into them, though he made them wash their hands before they could leaf through the books once again.

"Mr. Andrews, why do you like books?" Liz asked as she ignored the letters in front of her.

He thought a moment before saying, "I like books because they teach you so many things just by reading and because you can go to a place completely different from where you are just by reading something, like…well, for you age, "Suzy and Stem's Big Meister Adventure" . I'm sure kids like you would like that kind of book."

Liz frowned. "I don't like books very much; I just want Patti and I to learn a little." Mr. Andrews nodded understandably, ever welcoming to all opinions.

"Mr. Andrews?" Patti piped up and he gave a hum of acknowledgement. "Why do you like us so much?"

He took longer to answer this, coughing heavily into his arm for a moment. But when he did, he gave a kind smile to both girls. "I like you girls because I can tell you are smart, kind, and sweet you girls that will one day become strong, independent women that will make better lives for yourselves than you are given now. You girls are this world's future and I can see the future will be bright."

Half of what he said was lost on Patti, but the younger girl was incredibly pleased with his answer and went back to her book with a smile on her face. Liz looked at Mr. Andrews in awe; the things he said touched her. She knew that Patti was a precious gift and that she was lucky to have the younger girl as a sister, but she never thought of _herself _as a gift as well.

The world's future…that's right, the Thompson sisters had a future and Liz was determined to make Patti happy in that future. Wearing a different outfit everyday, not having to beg just to eat, going to actual school (even if it _did_ mean they'd have to read more), having a dining room table that was in an actual dining room, and not being so _cold_ every night. They were simple wishes, but compared to where she was now, these dreams seemed so bright she almost couldn't look at them head on.

They spent nearly the whole day in the bookstore before heading back to the "panhandle corner" around the time people came home from work. Liz was a little more aggressive; during the evening, a worker's soul purpose was to get home as fast as they could while ignoring every chance to use their money. But when their attention was caught, they always had more money than the morning walkers. By the time Liz deemed it time to go home they had tripled their cash.

"Let's go home," Liz said, shaking her sister slightly to make her get up off the sidewalk. Patti held Liz's hand lightly, tired after a busy day. Liz led her down one of the alleys they needed to go through to get home, watching the shadows for muggers and the trash for anything resembling a toy for her sister.

She had been distracted by a rubber duck that had its faded orange beak poking out from a pile of garbage, and so when a shadow detached itself from the wall and loomed over the girls she didn't notice it being there until Patti's hand was wrenched from her own.

The younger girl let out a scream as the man pulled her back to him, licking his lips methodically and saying in a hoarse voice, "Now, now, hush child, I won't hurt you, I'm just going to bring you to meet some friends of mine, and they're going to take you on a boat ride where you'll make some new friends and get a new family, okay?"

"_Patti!"_ Liz shrieked, lunging for the man, but he kicked her away and into a wall, where she curled into a ball with pain. Patti continued to scream as the man brought out a length of rope and started tying her up, all while muttering dark futures to her in his croaking voice.

"Please…help…" Liz pleaded, reaching for the people just outside of the ally. One woman looked at her, saw the man and her sister, and kept walking. Liz was horrified at how the woman could just ignore two young girls in trouble like that, simply because it wasn't her problem. A bright future? Yeah right, not when bastards like these continued to live in this world.

Patti's cries were suddenly cut off and Liz looked up to see her little sister gagged.

"_Patti_!" she screamed as she saw tears run from her sister's eyes. "Patti! Do it! Transform now!" The girls locked eyes and suddenly Patti burst into a bright pink light, making the binds around her fall to the ground, and shooting into her sisters hands.

Liz raised Patti, who was now in the form of a pistol, so the sights were lined with the man's forehead.

"What the hell just happened?" the man yelled, then burst into a bout of coughing from the loud exclamation and his terrible throat. Patti was still crying and now hiccupping a little, even in gun form, and Liz fought to keep her hands from shaking too much.

"Shut up!" the young girl shouted, locking in on the man's forehead.

"Shit…" the man looked between the girl, the gun, and the empty ropes and pieced everything together. "Don't tell me that kid's a weapon!"

"I said shut up!" Liz ordered, ignoring the crack in her voice and the water on her cheeks.

"Sis, I'm scared," Patti said with a slight hiccup in her speech.

"It's okay, Patti, I won't let some bastard like this hurt you."

The man smirked. "What're yah gonna do? Shoot me? I betcha there aren't even any bullets in that gun."

In response, Liz squeezed the trigger and a blast crumbled the wall near the man's head. He looked at the damage in horror, wide eyes and mouth open in a silent scream.

"_I said shut up_," she repeated again through clenched teeth. He looked at Liz in fright and down the gun barrel like his death was immanent.

"Whad'ya want from me? YOU kids don't wanna really kill me do yah? I-I'm sorry! Really, I'm sorry! D'ya want money? I've got money, plenty!" His hands fumbled through his pockets and drew out several bills. He tossed them to the ground before him and shrunk away from the girls. "That's all I have, I swear!"

Both the girls eyes watched the money float to the ground and stared as it sat there. Two hundred dollars, was what Liz's head registered. T_wo hundred dollars right in front of them_. Liz snarled at the man, "Git outta here."

The man scrambled away, down the alley, and away from the weapon sisters. Patti transformed back and hugged her sister tightly, afraid that if she let go, her sister would wrenched form her grip again. Liz held her sister close with one arm and with the other reached down and picked up the money with shaking fingers.

"Two hundred dollars," she whispered, going over the money.

Patti looked at the money and for a moment the tears stopped. "Really, Liz? We can- we can afford that blanket now." Liz nodded numbly. Patti tugged on her sister's shirt. "L-let's go get it b-before the store closes!"

It surprised both of them, how even though they had just had a traumatizing experience they still mustered enough energy to go buy a quilt. The cold forced out thoughts of everything else. The girls ran to the store, bought the thickest blanket they could, then, bundled up in the blanket, headed for Deathdonalds again for dinner.

Liz paid for two full meals with a buzzing head, still astonished that they could afford something so substantial. They ate in the restaurant, Liz saying that if their mother knew they had spent any of the money then she would get mad at them again. Patti had asked about the blanket, but Liz shook her head, saying that it was worth it. They scrambled back home, this time paying extremely close attention to the shadows, even though nothing bad turned up this time.

When they got to their apartment door, Liz wrapped the quilt around Patti and told her to rush to the closet as soon as the door opened while she gave the money to their mother. When the door opened, Patti did exactly as she was told. Before their mother could comment, Liz shoved the rest of the money in her face.

Their mother stuttered. "H-how did you get _eighty dollars_?" It used to be two hundred and thirty before we bought the blanket and dinner, Liz thought.

"We're going to bed," she said simply, joining her sister in the closet. There was no noise that night, but their mother didn't bother to get them out of the closet. The girls wrapped the comforter around them, cuddling close together as both their heads could fit on the pillow.

For the first time since they were born, the Thompson sisters were warm. They were warm, but the warmth could not reach their chilled hearts. Liz couldn't stop thinking how that man just _gave_ his money to them, couldn't stop seeing Patti's face as they bought the blanket and a cheeseburger.

Patti couldn't stop seeing Liz smile when she bought the things she bought for them, or how she forced the man to leave and how close the both of them had come to killing him.

"Liz?" she whispered into the dark.

"Yes, Patti?"

"Are we going to do it again?"

There was silence for a minute before saying, "Yes, Patti."

The younger girl snuggled closer and the sisters fell asleep peacefully.

* * *

Kid: …I wish I wasn't so curious  
Alsarnia: I really wish I could clean my brain out with soap, I feel so dirty for cursing so much…  
Kid: So what happened to Mr. Andrews? Why don't you ever reminisce about him?  
Liz: …Mr. Andrews died a few years after this took place…  
Everyone: -silence-  
Patti: He made really good sandwiches though!  
Alsarnia: Yeah…I saved the really deep and sad ones for the last two. So sad though, huh? SO VERY SAD  
Liz: Yeah, yeah, we don't need sympathy. We're good now.  
Patti: Yeah, Kid makes us sandwiches now!  
Alsarnia: You make a good sandwich?  
Kid: -scoffs- what good is the son of Death if he cannot make an acceptable sandwich?  
Liz: He does make good sandwiches  
Alsarnia: That's it, sandwich party!  
Patti: SANDWICH PARTY~~~~!


End file.
